James Franco and Seth Rogen are best buds on the run in the no-holds-barred action-comedy 'Pineapple Express.'

Dude, like, talk about your puffs of fresh air.

Given Hollywood's recent trend toward comedies both laughless and lifeless (see: "Zohan" and "Step Brothers"), it's easy to get high on the stoner comedy "Pineapple Express," the latest film to carry the coveted "produced by Judd Apatow" banner.

It's filled credits-to-credits with thoroughly bad behavior, but there's a lawless unpredictability -- most apparent in its scenes of unexpected and surprisingly frank violence -- that makes one thing Visine-clear: This is no "Dude, Where's My Car?" This is a stoner comedy that's both edgy and funny.

James Franco and Seth Rogen indulge their paranoia in 'Pineapple Express.'

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

3 stars, out of 4

Plot: Two stoners go on the lam after one of them witnesses a murder.

What works: James Franco nails his pothead role in this comedy that, unlike most stoner comedies, has an actual plot.

What doesn't: As with all Apatow-produced films, it goes on about 10 minutes too long.

The plot is a simple one: After one of them witnesses a murder, a pair of potheads (Seth Rogen and James Franco) find themselves hunted by drug dealers. But with some taut, genre-bending action sequences -- car chases, fight scenes, at least one blown-off ear -- it's compelling enough, suspenseful enough and fresh enough to keep the attention of movie-goers well beyond the first 20 minutes.

A lot of the credit goes to the convincing, glassy-eyed performances of lead tokers Rogen and Franco (maybe a little too convincing at times), as well as a nice supporting job by goofball teddy bear Danny R. McBride.

Rogen deserves an extra tip of the cap, since he -- with Apatow and Evan Goldberg -- is partially responsible for the script. There's a certain sweetness involved as he and Franco stumble for the hills, becoming best buds along the way.

Praise is also due to director and part-time New Orleans resident David Gordon Green. The indie fixture who has made a name for himself with small but weighty dramas, such as last spring's "Snow Angels," has cranked out one of the funniest comedies this year.

Just as Apatow has been credited with reviving the "R"-rated comedy with his "40-year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up," Green helps breathe life into another left-for-dead 1980s genre (complete with a title song by Huey Lewis): the buddy action-comedy. Think 1982's "48 Hrs." or 1984's "Beverly Hills Cop" or 1988's "Midnight Run" -- trailblazers of a genre that, after devolving into such disappointing fare as "Turner and Hooch" (not to mention "Another 48 Hrs.," "Beverly Hills Cop II" and "Another Midnight Run"), was mostly abandoned by Hollywood.

The film's "R" rating is well-deserved; "Pineapple Express" is a wholly bad influence. There's smoking, drinking and rampant drug use -- including, in one scene, by middle-schoolers. Not only is it condoned, it is celebrated -- and, in the case of one particularly potent stash, revered. ("It's almost a shame to smoke it," Franco says. "It's like killing a unicorn.")

For all of its misbehavior, though, and all of its hedonistic hijinks, it'll also have you rolling (with laughter, Cheech). When it comes to the state of recent comedies, that's some good stuff, man.

CRESCENT CITY CONNECTIONS

It wasn't shot in Louisiana, but 'Pineapple Express' has a number of Big Easy connections:

David Gordon Green, director: The respected indie director lives in the city part-time, maintaining a home Uptown.

Chris Spellman, production designer: One of Judd Apatow's frequent collaborators, he attended Brother Martin High School and still has family in the area.

Ken Jeong, actor: The character actor, who is also an M.D., did his residency in New Orleans, honing his comic chops while living here.
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